There Is No Lie In This World-Chapter 25: The Zhen Tea Room

The Zhen Tea Room was old - exquisitely maintained, like a beauty preserved by a meticulous taxidermist centuries ago. It was a curious blend of cultures, although it leaned more toward Eastern Asian style than European. The velvet walls of dark jade-green had embroideries of lotus flowers. The chandelier was adorned with faint red rice papers. The subtly flowery scent in the air had undertones of burning incense sticks.

As I walked in, escorted by the two messengers that came to ’invite’ me over here earlier, Councilor Zhen came and greeted me with a perfectly angled polite bow. It was a bow that showed great respect, but not deep enough to signal submission.

"Thank you very much for coming, Miss Roen," the lady had a gentle, whispering voice that carried cryptic wisdom.

"Thank you for the invitation, Councilor,"

"It is an honor to receive you here. I do apologize that I did not reach out sooner"

"It-, it is fine."

After the suitable pleasantries were exchanged, she gestured for the two messengers to leave the room and led me to the table at the center.

The wooden table was simple yet expertly polished. Its surface was natural and smooth, just like the chairs and other items around the room. It was as if they had a tree that grows to become furniture.

The Councilor lifted a porcelain teapot and poured me a cup. It had no handles, but the thickness of it meant it didn’t feel too hot to touch.

"Please try the tea. This is a proud product of my family."

I took a sip. It had a kind of bitterness that made you want to drink more. At least as good as the tea I had in the Garden that Luc took me for a break before.

"It’s great."

"Thank you, Miss Roen."

The lady sat on her chair giving an impression of leaning forward, like a keen and attentive listener. Her dark olive-green velvet glove covered hands floated in mid-air, clasped just at the point where poise ended and discomfort began.

her hands floated in mid-air, clasped just at the point where poise ended and discomfort began.

I wasn’t quite sure what to say next. I wanted to ask her about why she asked me to come, but felt that might come across as offensive and give an impression that I didn’t want to socialize with her - ’why do I need to be here if it’s not for a specific purpose?’ type of attitude.

"How do you like the Roen Tower so far?" she led the conversation, thankfully.

"I... think this place is great," the greatest prison in the world - for me. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Have your people been serving you well?"

"Everybody has been very helpful."

"I see."

The short pause was a cue to take another sip of this addictive drink.

"My family - the Zhen family - has been serving the Roen family, and consequently the Roen Group, for over three hundred years now," she declared proudly.

"That is great. And, um, thank you for your service," I didn’t like saying the second part. It sounded too patronizing in my mind, but that seemed to be the right thing to say as the heiress.

"Thank you for your acknowledgment, Miss Roen."

Another sip.

Am I drinking too fast?

There was a little concern, but the tea soothed it away.

A minute passed without either of us saying anything. With each second my nervousness grew. I felt that as the ’leader’ acknowledged by the Council and wearing this brooch on my blazers, I should be the one who lead the conversation. Wasn’t that expected of the leaders?

Not that I ever embraced that role though... not even now.

"You may be wondering why I brought you the inconvenience to visit this place."

Thankfully, Councilor Zhen broke the silence.

"Oh, it’s not inconvenient at all! Please don’t worry," Only inconvenient to my heart.

"The incident on the other day - that was quite tragic."

"It certainly was..."

"I am so grateful that you haven’t been harmed."

"Indeed..."

"But I heard a little girl was hurt during the chaos?"

My heart sank. I knew she was ’saved’. Somehow. She was well enough to run to her mother, crying - as if she’d never been hurt.

How all of that happened was still a mystery to me that I had to confront Luc about.

"And she was miraculously saved," the Councilor continued.

"Thank God she was."

"Did you see anything - strange?"

My chest tightened. Blood rushed through the veins in my forearms. The images of the scene were replaying in my mind.

"No," I lied.

"It was truly a miracle then," the lady accepted and took a sip. I did the same.

"Had... anybody been attacked like this before?"

"Not for a very long time."

"When was the last time? What happened?"

She then put her cup down, clasped her velvet gloved hands, and looked into my eyes.

"But never inside the Rowen Tower."

Something felt off. The young Councilor at the Senior Council meeting said the same thing. It was almost as if an attack taking place in the Rowen Tower was more shocking than a dying girl suddenly getting healed, a heart removed from human body still beating, and the darkness...

"However- I don’t think it’s something you need to worry about now," Councilor Zhen suddenly broke into a comforting smile.

"There are many things I do not understand..." I confessed.

"You have arrived and ascended to your position at a turbulent time. After an unprecedented tragedy."

I could only respond with silence.

"But please be assured. That the Senior Council is here to assist you in any way we can. If there is anything you need - anything you need at all, please do not hesitate to contact me."

"I will... thank you. Councilor."

"Especially when you cannot find an answer to the truth you seek - if you feel that having a chat over tea could comfort you, and provide you with a... different perspective - then the Zhen Tea Room is always open for you."

"I really appreciate it."

The cryptically reassuring smile of Councilor Zhen and her tea left me with both comfort and unease in my heart.